black hawthorn

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Survives zone 4 through 8

Harvest calendar

Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.

Black hawthorn is the characteristic hawthorn of the Pacific Northwest and interior western mountains, ranging from southeastern Alaska to northern California and east into the Rockies — the only Crataegus native that far north on the West Coast. Unlike most other hawthorns in this group, it spreads by root suckering into dense thickets, and its dark purple-to-black fruit sets it apart from the typically red haws of related species.

Hardiness

Zone 4–8

Habit

Tree

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

Summer–autumn

Mature size

Large shrub or small tree 3–10 m, often thicket-forming along streams

Light

Full sun to partial

Soil pH

6.0–7.0 (near-neutral)

Environment

Temperate

Native range

Native to western North America, most widespread in the Pacific Northwest — from southeastern Alaska south through British Columbia, Washington and Oregon to northern California — and also found inland through Idaho, Montana, Alberta, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Wyoming, with disjunct populations around the western Great Lakes (Minnesota, northern Michigan, Ontario, Saskatchewan).

Status

Wild

Years to fruit

2–4 yrs

Growth speed

Slow to medium, typical of the genus; mature trees reach roughly 6-12m (20-40ft) over time, though size varies considerably with site conditions.

Spacing

450 cm (177 in) apart — about 20 m² (218 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Leaves are broadly obovate to ovate, about 2.5-5cm long and 1.5-4cm wide, wedge-shaped and untoothed near the base, doubly toothed above and often somewhat lobed near the tip; thin, glossy and smooth above, paler beneath.

Root system

Roots readily sucker to form thickets, spreading outward from the parent plant — the key rooting trait distinguishing it from most other Crataegus covered here — in addition to the taproot-plus-fibrous-root pattern typical of the genus. Its roots are valued in riparian restoration for stabilizing stream banks.

Fruit description

Fruits are ovoid, glossy, and ripen reddish-purple to black — distinctive among hawthorns, most of which have red haws — about 8-10mm across, with sweet, juicy, succulent flesh that can be eaten fresh, cooked into pies and preserves, or dried for storage. Up to five large seeds cluster together inside.

Propagation

Grown from seed, which has the hard coat and embryo dormancy typical of the genus — fresh seed sown in autumn, or stored seed given about 3 months of warm stratification (around 15°C) followed by 3 months of cold stratification (around 4°C), can still take 18 months or more to germinate. Harvesting seed green and sowing it immediately, or scarifying or fermenting it in its pulp, is used to speed germination.

Pollination

Self-fertile

The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.